Will Lang, chief operational meteorologist for the Met Office, said: "A deep area of low pressure will move east to pass to the north of Scotland during Tuesday. The associated frontal system will be active, bringing a spell of heavy rain to areas exposed to the south and southwest.

Deluge: The storm is set to bring heavy rain

"The rain will also be accompanied by south or southwesterly gales and possibly severe gales at times, especially over exposed coast and hills with large waves also expected. People should be aware of the potential for disruption to travel due to localised flooding."

Areas such as Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire, the west coast of Wales is believed to be particularly vulnerable to potential flooding this week and residents have been urged to take precautions.

The Environment Agency said it was monitoring river levels.

It added that areas already affected by record river levels, including Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire, are likely to be at risk of flooding as heavy rain on Tuesday and into Wednesday could cause levels to rise and drains to flood.

Warnings: Severe weather warnings have been put in place throughout the country

Clare Dinnis, national flood duty manager at the EA, said they would issue flood warnings and alerts where necessary and warned people to be ready for flash flooding in some areas.

She said: "With heavy rain and high tides this week, people in Cumbria, Yorkshire, Devon and Cornwall need to be prepared for the risk of flooding."

Scott Squires, Duty Tactical Manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: "We are monitoring the situation closely as the ground is still fairly sodden after Christmas. But as the rain is going to fall over 24-36 hours this will help reduce the pressure on our rivers and waterways.

"We do expect to issue a number of flood alerts and potentially some isolated warnings so people need to keep an eye on our website for the latest.

"Roads and low-lying land could be affected by the rain so people need to take care and not drive or walk through any flooding.

"The west of Wales could also be hit by strong winds and large waves so again, the advice to people is to avoid the sea front as this could be dangerous."

Commuters using Southeastern services were told the bright conditions were delaying their journeys.

The company, which operates services between London, Kent and parts of East Sussex, suffered hold-ups on its network earlier this month because the angle of the sun meant some drivers could not see the full length of their trains in their mirrors before leaving stations.

Passengers expressed their anger over the latest sun-related disruption, which occurred at Herne Hill, south London.

Most homes in l Taiwan lack central heating, and the cold caused heart trouble and shortness of breath for many of the victims, a city official said. Normally, temperatures in Taipei hover around 16 degrees C (60 degrees F) in January.

The cold front also left 3.5 inches of snow on Taipei’s highest peak Saturday and stranded vehicles as people headed into the mountains to see the snow.